SIX months ago he was making headlines as a footballing laughing stock â thanks to a classless taunt from Jack Grealish.
Now he is doing so as perhaps the unlikeliest hero of all in the great Newcastle United revolution.
When Grealish mocked team-mate Riyad Mahrez as having âplayed like Almironâ in the midst of Manchester Cityâs title celebrations, it meant only one thing â having a stinker.
It was a cruel comment, bringing sympathy aplenty for the Paraguayan, yet everyone knew what it meant.
Miguel Almiron had such a torrid time of things that he looked certain to become collateral damage in Eddie Howeâs great Toon rebuild.
But the man whose spindly frame earned him the nickname âSpaghettiâ as a kid has gone from unpickable to undroppable after a stunning start to the season.
A superb winning goal against Everton last Wednesday was his fifth of theà campaign.
Along with Bruno Guimaraes, he has been the star of Newcastleâs rise to the fringes of the top four.
Over 6,000 miles away, one man has watched his rebirth with a smile.
He has seen Almiron, 28, prove everyone wrong before and never doubted he would do the same in England.
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Hernan Acuna was a coach at Cerro Porteno, one of Paraguayâs leading clubs, when a 14-year-old Almiron arrived with his uncle Diego for a trial.
At the time he was playing in the youth ranks of third-tier outfit Club 3 de Noviembre after being rejected by bigger teams as being too frail.
Almironà came through that first trial of 300 wannabe youngsters but, for two years in the academy, his chances were limited to the odd cameo off the bench.
So when it came to D-day every youth coach at Cerro wanted to release him. But Acuna was having none of it.
As Under-17 coach, he had seen the youngster at the level below and was convinced he had something special.
So he dug his heels in and insisted the boy was given a chance.
Ancuna, now Cerroâs chief scout, revealed: âWhen his uncle brought Miggy to an open trial with the Under-15s, he was a very thin and skinny boy.
âA lot of his coaches thought he was too frail and delicate to make it.
âHe was skillful, but hardly got a game in two years because of that. But whenever I watched him train, there was something about him.
âMiguel was small but had a powerful and explosive sprint, an elegant left foot and a great eye for a pass.
âEven so, at the end of the season he was on the list of players who were being released. I had to intervene and insist that Miguel could not leave.
“I said, âWe cannot throw a player out of the club just because he is thin. This boy is going to be a superstar and I want him in my teamâ.
âIn fact, I changed my system to get Miguel in because I wanted himà à between the midfield and strikers,à and he was perfect.
âSo I told Miggy Iâd give him six games to prove himself â and the next season he was a different player.
âHe went from a thin, fragile and quiet boy who was lacking confidence to one who was captain and leader by the time he was in the Under-18s.â
Almironâs form earned him a move to Atletico Lanus and after just one season in Argentina, MLS outfit Atlanta paid ã7million to take him to America.
Three years on he became Newcastleâs then club-record ã21m buy, yet he struggled to make an impact when he was asked to play down the right.
And when he again failed to make an impression under Howe, he looked doomed. Yet, like Acuna before him, the boss never lost faith.
Acuna added: âMiguel was lost under Steve Bruce. Howe understands he needs some kind of freedom.
âYou can see the difference this season. He is a special and unique player and Iâm so proud to have helped his career along the way.â